The Fairmont Way Day Spa

This past weekend was a lovely time spent with girlfriends, lots of good fun, food, sewing, and laughter. I did, in fact, remember the camera, so there will be pictures. Don't you love this lounge chair cover? Pam's neighbors made a set for her as a thank you for using her pool.


She actually made each one of us a lovely personalized towel set. We really did feel like we were at a spa.


I loved jumping in the pool for exercise and to cool off. I took my Aqua-Jogger belt and got some real exercise, and we all brought healthy food. Fresh fruit, wonderful salads and Weight Watcher desserts. We all felt so virtuous!


Here is our hostess hard at work in her studio area, which is mere steps from the pool. She is working on quilting a raffle quilt for her guild. I love the kaleidescope blocks on her design wall. You can see various background fabrics being auditioned there.


This pineapple block table topper is very traditional, but I love it. The scrappiness appeals to me, I think. Not sure how much more Blogger will let me post right now, so stay tuned for more pictures later.

Elizabeth Berg and a Sewing Weekend

Here are a couple of books I just finished, and I've decided I like this author very much. I have a couple more books ordered from Amazon, and one more from the library. In "The Art of Mending", the main character is a quilt artist. The story is primarily about family relationships and not art quilting, but that aspect intrigued me. There are a couple of scenes I can really relate to, for example when she's in the fabric store or in her studio. In "Say When", the wife uses the excuse of going to a quilting class when she is really going to meet her lover.

I am getting ready for a weekend of big fun, some quality girlfriend time spent with my quilting buddies. Pam's husband is off fishing, so we are all spending the weekend at her house. We are sharing responsibility for food and will keep the cooking to a minimum. We plan to sew, eat and LAUGH a lot. Pam has a lovely swimming pool, so there will be water aerobics to cool off and get exercise. I am going to work mostly on my machine quilting, but I have a couple of other gift projects to take along. It's always hard to predict how much work I will actually complete during one of these get togethers. If I remember, I'll take pictures.

Art and sadness

"Lake Edge" by Emily Mason

Loved these cool,deep colors, it feels almost like you could just dive in. I love, love, love this artist's work. I don't know why achieving this kind of feeling in my own paintings is so elusive. It looks so simple, but it isn't at all.

I've been reading more than sewing, although I have some gift quilts I am working on.
Sewing this way is relaxing, especially when I listen to a book at the same time.

I've been struggling lately with too much sadness. I finally had to stop listening to the news. The tragedy of war is so overwhelming and I had a terrible sense of foreboding and sadness that I couldn't shake. The feelings seemed to affect my ability to create art as well. I'm more the "make a joyful noise" type when I make art, and I don't seem to be able to express the darker emotions that way.

Focusing on the positive now. Look at the beautiful spirit in this art.

Mini Quilt Show

Here are some simple but pretty quilts that were shared at our last quilt group gathering. All of these were former UFO's finished by my friend Pam.

The next quilt is a simple flying geese quilt, made by my friend Gayle for her husband. Each block is a different fabric, representing his various interests. I thought it was a great idea. Gayle said that she had made so many quilts for her children and other family members that it was high time she made one for her husband. It will reside in his den when it is finished.

There are a few more quilts to share, but Blogger doesn't want to let me post any more right now. I'll save them for another day.
I'm working on three Christmas quilts and one art quilt. Not far enough along to share pictures just yet.

I had a fun day off today, mostly spent shopping. I found some pretty shirts in lots of colors, and they actually fit which is even better. I tend to buy several of the same item if I like it and it fits. I bought shirts in purple, teal, pumpkin, and pale green.

I will probably spend the rest of evening enjoying a good read.

Butterflies, fabric, and rain

Well, once again I have been away from my computer, busy with company and summer activities. I am loving the part time hours at work, something I will enjoy for just a little longer. You would think that with all the extra time I would have some wonderful art of my own to show you, but it just didn't happen. I have been sketching and fiddling around with fabric, so hopefully something will come together soon. (Gratuitous picture of tidy stash above, it looks nothing like this at the moment.)


I recently discovered that I don't have the patience to be a wildlife photographer. Right now I literally have a yard full of butterflies, and you would think I could get a decent picture. We have seen more butterflies this year than ever before, probably because the passiflora vines are so prolific.

One of the pond fish came over while I was taking the picture, curious or hoping to be fed.

Lots of people have been talking about the adventures in weather we have been having lately (triple digits, hot, hot, hot). Can you say global warming? Yesterday, like an answer to a prayer, it suddenly turned cool and rainy. I am loving the gentle sound of the rain, and I have the window open to enjoy the breeze.

Happy 91st Birthday CR!

This past weekend we celebrated my father-in-law's 91st birthday. He is kind, funny, and thoughtful, a wonderful man. I am grateful to have had him in my life for the past 30 years. As you can see, our photographer had a hard time getting us to focus. The jokes were flying and we were laughing too hard to settle down for a picture. That's my husband in the green shirt standing next to me, and that's my handsome son right behind us. A totally unbiased opinion, of course.

Don't you love the birthday crown? We have used it, or some version of it, for years. Even when we go out to a restaurant, the birthday honoree has to wear it. I remember being mortified the first time I had to wear the crown in public, but over the years I have come to appreciate it. No one sees it without smiling or laughing. Aren't birthday traditions fun?

More Traditional Quilt Content

All of these quilts were made by my friend Cindy. As you can see, she goes for the dark, warm colors and the primitive look. Of these quilts, I like the top one the best. Although the colors are subdued, the fabric is brushed cotton and is very cozy. It will be great next winter for those cool rainy days. The stitcheries in the second quilt are all angels of some kind. Cute and charming.

I have had so much fun with these women over the years, we even travelled across the country to go to the Paducah show together. We may or may not do that again, but we had the time of our lives. We've also been several times to the Road to California show. We meet once a month, supposedly to sew, but laughing and eating sometimes take priority. Every year we draw names and make a quilt for that person to exchange at our Christmas party.(Check out the December 2005 archives to see last year's exchange).We have a variety of tastes, but our delight in fabric and quilting holds us together.

Quilt Content

This child's quilt can be used to play "I Spy" or the "Match" game since there are two of each square. It is going into my friend's "hope chest" for a grandchild that hasn't even been thought of yet (at least not by the future parents). That's what I call prepared!

This is the "Egg Money Quilt", made using the book by Eleanor Burns. Based on traditional quilt blocks and made from 30's reproduction fabric, I think it looks very fresh and "spring like". Made by my friend Andine.

This was a "mystery quilt", made by my friend Gayle. You know I love those warm autumn colors.

I am enjoying having a few days off this month, although I am going in to work for a little while this afternoon. Not much new on the art front, but I have been sewing away on some UFOs. Who knows, I may even finish something.

Bright fabric, Dear Jane

Here is what I've been doing with all that bright fabric.


I liked it better before I added the "scribbly" quilting, so I may be adding some more pieces to it. On the other hand, it might be best just to start again and go for a simpler composition. At least I'm working.

Here is a picture of what one of my good quilter friends is working on.
Now, I think it is safe to say I will never do this, but I am fascinated to see it. These are all hand pieced "Dear Jane" blocks. I think I have mentioned my friends's interest in Civil War quilts, and this is the latest manifestation. There are actually hundreds of "Janiac" quilters who are making replicas of this quilt, originally made by Jane Stickle.
The blocks are small (4 1/2" I think) and are often pieced by hand.



This is what you end up with, or something similar.



As I said, not my cup of tea, but isn't it amazing?

Pretty Colors

These are some wonderful fabrics I bought this weekend, along with a nicely fused stack all ready to work with. The colors really do glow like that. One of the shops I go to very nicely sent me a gift certificate in appreciation for past patronage. Of course I used it and a little besides.Although I do love hand painted and hand dyed fabric, I also love buying it already done. So much less work. In July I will have a little time off, so there may be time to paint some more fabric. As hot as it is, it would dry in about 5 minutes. In the meantime, I have these lovelies to play with.

Fran asked if there was any curved piecing in the last work I shared, and the answer is no, it is all done in the tradition of the Chicago School of Fusing. I also
wanted to say that reading Nancy's book is NOT stressful in any way, except that it is so inspiring you want to drop everything and work on art 24/7 like she apparently does. The book is a wonderful retrospective of work, and also talks about some of her inspirations.
It is well worth owning if you love art books as much as I do.

I read about her classes on another email list. What is "stressful" to me is that she requires a lot of work in a short time, and she wants it to be large. Although I understand the idea of "loosening up" and working more intuitively, I do not want to put time or size constraints on my work. Deborah blogged about art and size a couple of days ago, and I agree that the size of the work should be what it needs to be, not artificially imposed. (An obvious exception would be a commission meant to hang in a specific area, like the one Gerrie just completed.)

Off to work (the paying kind) now, I hope to have more to share with you soon.

New work and a new book

I recently finished this piece, "One More Day Up In the Canyon". It's about 15" x 18". I love the colors of earth, sky, and water, it seems to be a recurring theme in my work. I'm really happy with the way this one turned out.

Like quite a few others, I finally received my copy of Nancy Crow's new book. I have already spent hours looking at it. What an inspiration! If I could work faster, I might save up to take a workshop from her, but from everything I've been reading about her teaching technique, I don't think it would suit me. I am not being critical of her, I just know I wouldn't thrive under that level of stress. I told my husband we needed to buy about 60 acres with three barns on it, and he looked slightly alarmed until I told him I was only joking.

Sort of.

Breakfast, Books and A Dog Wash

Our weekend was a typical one. We had the usual chores (laundry and cleaning) and a few extras like bathing the dogs. This is NOT their favorite activity and we pretty much get as wet as they do in the process. They feel great afterwards, though, and run around barking and rolling on the rugs. It
was pandemonium for a little while there.

Other than chores, we had a couple of nice breakfasts, particularly on Father's Day. Breakfast means oatmeal, toast, fruit or yogurt during the week, but on the weekend it's something special. Although we went out this weekend, often we cook at home. We make spectacular omelettes, fried potatoes, the works. Sometimes its homemade
breakfast burritos.

I haven't been sewing much, but I have been reading. Summer weather has me feeling
lazy, and I love to relax under a ceiling fan with a nice breeze blowing in the window. One of my favorite authors is Jodi Picoult. I just finished these two this weekend. I always like a good story where the author makes you care about the characters. The topics are contemporary and the plot moves right along. One of her methods is to write from each character's point of view, and you really get a chance to get inside their heads and see what's going on. Anyway, if you are looking for a good summer read or two, check it out.

A New Phase and Random Thoughts

This painting is by Jay Milder. From Abstract Art Online. I love the color and energy, and even in an internet picture I can get a feel for the "cake frosting" quality of the paint. Great fun.

Lots of things going on here. Work is busy, busy, busy because a) I am still playing "catch up", and b) everyone is bringing me their summer projects for binding and repair. I find that I am absolutely wiped out at the end of the day, even eight weeks out from surgery. On the other hand, as Jerry reminded me, I used to be wiped out after long work days BEFORE I had surgery. I have been working out how to cope with the symptoms of my new phase of life. I attended a "menopause" class, and am trying the black cohosh for relief from hot flashes. I started exercising again, which I hope will help with the stress and emotional upheaval. This has probably been the most disconcerting part. I find myself weepy at the drop of a hat (hearing a song, for example, will set me off). This is very unlike me, and I don't feel quite like myself. I have not made any decisions yet about turning to medication.

We also have a house guest, a friend of Jerry's who has been living in Egypt for the past year. He is a photographer, and he has amazing pictures, both of Egypt and of Darfur. Take a look, they are incredible. What strikes me so forcefully are the beautiful smiles on the faces of some of these people, even after so much suffering. It seems absurd to ever complain about anything when so many have so little. It gives you a lot to think about.

Painterly Time?

The visual for today is "Emptied By the Sun", by Emily Mason.

I've been a neglectful blogger lately, but it seems I've become self-conscious about whether or not I have something worthwhile to share. (Not that it ever stopped me before.) On the art front, I've made several really bad paintings. On the quilting front I've been chipping away at some traditional projects and not much else. Nothing of interest that merges both, although I thought of cutting up the paintings and reassembling them.

I am back at work now, as immersed in the daily routines as if I hadn't left. It's amazing how quickly you get back into it even if you've been gone a while. I'm happy to have my life back, but I do miss those afternoon naps.

As artists, we often talk about being "in the zone" or about how we lose track of time while we are working. Here is an interesting article about "Painterly Time."
Something I think we already knew, but still interesting.

Work In Progress

Finally, some work in progress to share.

You might remember seeing this:


Here's what I've done with it:


This is still a work in progress and has no quiltng or embellishment yet. I am also considering whether I need to bring some lighter elements into the lower left corner, more small yellow triangles perhaps. I'm thinking I need to repeat that element somewhere.

As you can probably tell, this is a combination of hand painted and commercial fabric. I had a great time painting the fabric, this time using Setacolor, Dynaflo and fabric ink.

Next will be the threadwork...

A Quiet Time

I'm still here, just haven't been online much. Computer troubles at our house mean that I have had to start sharing my computer with my son, and he is online a LOT. To be fair, he is a senior at UCSD, so it isn't all chat or games.

To tell the truth, I'm not sure I have much interesting to tell. I have spent a couple of very quiet weeks reading, sleeping, , listening to books, watching DVDs, well...you get the idea. Pretty low key to say the least. Last week I finally started going out for short trips, things like a trip to the fabric store, out to lunch, Starbuck's, the public library. I even had my hair cut and "enhanced" which also lifted my spirits since things were getting pretty scary in that department.

I am light years better since the surgery, but I am surprised to find that I am still recovering. I have no stamina and there is still occasional pain. I would be worried about this, but my doctor told me that as the nerves heal, you feel small twinges of pain and that it is actually a good sign.
I guess they give you six whole weeks for a reason. If I were 100%, there are at least a dozen projects around the house and garden that I would dive into, but I lack the strength. I guess that makes the perfect excuse to be lazy.

I have finished a bullseye quilt done from a fabric swap (and started about four years ago!) and am working on a log cabin. Not much to report in the artistic department, although I have done a little sketching here and there. Hopefully, now that I have cut way back on meds and am sleeping less I can spend more time being creative.

With Gratitude

Hi everybody, I'm back :) I can't believe it's been a week today since the surgery, it seems like ages. Everything went very well, and I thank you all again for your positive thoughts and prayers. The cancer was confirmed as being in an early stage, and radiation will not be necessary (yea!) I have a row of gleaming staples running from navel to groin, but everything is healing as it should. When you have a health issue, it is amazing how your world shrinks to the management of tiny things. Becoming so helpless is very humbling, and I can only be grateful for the excellent care I have received.

My Easter weekend was very quiet as I was newly home from the hospital, but I did have several visitors and received some very nice get well wishes. Jen sent me a lovely postcard in soothing colors and Marlene sent me an exciting little packet of embellishments. I have also received many emails and good wishes, and I am overwhelmed and grateful.

In our living room, which is quiet and centrally located, there is a lovely window bed which is the perfect spot for rest and recovery. It is actually a huge window seat which we have outfitted with an extra long twin mattress and it has served us well over the years as an extra sleeping niche for guests. It is flanked on two sides by ceiling height book cases, and so it makes the perfect reading and napping nook. Proximity to the window gives a lovely view of the sky and the neighbor's lush avocado grove. From that spot I can also see the huge picture window across the front of the house. The trees we planted on the half acre slope in front give privacy and a beautiful green view. Right now we have plum, apple, orange and cherry trees all in fragrent bloom.

I am feeling a little stronger every day, and I am happy and grateful to be home.

My next art quilt?

It has been a busy weekend. My surgery is not until this afternoon, so I will go off to the hospital around 11 am. I expect to be in about 4 or 5 days, and I doubt I will have any time with the computer. This weekend I spent some fun time with family and did lots of errands. By late Sunday afternoon I was filled with nervous energy that had me doing yard work and cleaning the house like a madwoman. At one point Jerry looked at Andy (our son) and said "Your mother is possessed". Relaxation tapes just weren't doing the trick anymore.

I also spent a little time with the sketchbook and have three possibilities for projects when I get home. I am hoping that I will feel well enough during my recovery to spend a lot of time creating. I like these three, so at least one of them should make a jumping off point for my next art quilt.

From Gerrie, A Quilt For Healing

Gerrie has been kind enough to loan me her quiltlet for inspiration and healing. It was made for her when she was facing the challenge of breast cancer last year. When I unwrapped it, I just sat down and cried for a minute, overwhelmed by the love and strength of its message. I'm not sure I have the words to say how much this means to me. Thank you Gerrie from the bottom of my heart.

Wow, it has been a busy week. Still more medical stuff and endless paperwork to prepare for absence from work. I rather naively thought a few days back that it was going to be simple. Everything is fine, there's just a lot more bureaucratic nonsense than I expected. I had to run around town, file this, file that. I'm off to work shortly, my last working day for six weeks.

My neice and her family are in town for two weeks and there will be a big family gathering this weekend. It will be great to be with everyone and fun to see the youngest family members. I can't think of a better way to spend my last day before surgery, which will be Monday, 1pm Pacific time. Thanks for all your prayers and positive energy for healing.

Thank you Shirley

What a lovely treat arrived in the mail! A pretty card, terrific postcard and hand dyed "striped" fabric from Shirley in New Zealand. These are all so special. Thank you so much!

Today was a fun lunch and sewing day with quilting friends, always one of my favorite things to do. The sun was shining and it was just a beautiful day. Carla made a wonderful chicken pasta salad and green salad, along with freshly baked herb bread. To top it off, there were some very good homemade cookies for dessert. Yum! We spent the afternoon relaxing and chatting and generally forgetting about anything else we had to take care of. When I got home tonight, Jerry was just in the process of heating some leftovers for dinner, so with the addition of a nice salad we were good to go. All in all, a very fine and relaxing day.